I LOVE LUCY

I LOVE LUCY EPISODE GUIDE

EPISODE #87

Bonus Bucks

A newspaper is conducting a "Bonus Buck" contest, and Lucy and Ethel are checking all their dollars in hopes of unearthing a winner. After Ricky discourages them by reminding them of the incredible odds, he discovers in his wallet a winning bill (B78455698), worth three hundred dollars.

Ricky plants the buck in Lucy's purse so she will experience the thrill of discovering it herself. However, the next day, Lucy, unknowing of Ricky's thoughtfulness, uses the prize single to pay a grocery boy, who in turn, passes it to Mrs. Mertz as change.

Both gals immediately claim ownership, and a resulting argument ends with the bill being torn in half. To save their friendship, both families intend to split the spoils, so each retains half a bill. Not trusting Lucy, Ricky takes possession of their half, placing it in the pocket of his pajamas before taking a shower. Meanwhile, the Speedy Laundry man arrives and Lucy gives him Ricky's sleepwear.

The Ricardos now must retrieve their bill at the commercial laundry, where Lucy gets caught in the starch vat with obvious and amusing results. The pair locates the split single and races by taxi to the newspaper office, arriving moments before the 3PM deadline.

They claim the three-hundred dollar prize, but after paying for damages to the laundry, taxi fare, and a speeding ticket are left with only a dollar, the same amount they started with.

Special Notes: Such contests proliferated in the 1950s, usually under the name "Lucky Bucks." However, Desilu's contract with sponsor Philip Morris precluded them from ever using the word "lucky", the name of a competing cigarette.

Bloopers: When Ricky enters the laundry room, he accidentally knocks a crow bar off the wall and the co-actress in this scene struggled briefly to find it when she had to use it.